Richard Browning
In Biggles Sorts It Out, Richard Browning was a footman in the service of Lord Phillip de Langdon of Ferndale Manor. When Lord Langdon discovered that his rubies were missing from his safe, Browning was the prime suspect. According to his Lordship, Browning had cut a good impression when he applied for the job and had performed his duties well. However, after some time, Lord Langdon found that he was becoming too familiar with his daughter, Lady Caroline Langdon and had gone as far as having secret meetings with her in the grounds of the estate. Lord Langdon had reprimanded Richard and shortly thereafter, Richard had left suddenly and disappeared. While investigating the case, Biggles found the behaviour of Browning puzzling. One of the rubies had been sold at the establishment of Mr Fornier of Bond Street, but Richard had used his real name and had acted openly. Richard had also been taking flying lessons at Mealing Flying Club and he had indeed taken off in an aircraft from there and had not returned. But the aircraft had not been stolen from the club as Biggles assumed. Browning had actually purchased it legitimately with cash. Richard had told Bunny Hale, his club instructor that he intended to try for the London to Cape Town flight record. This, together with a photo of Richard in the Kalahari which Lord Langdon showed Biggles, suggested that Richard was headed down the west coast of the African continent. Even here, Richard's movements were surprising. At various refuelling stops, Richard had paid for fuel in his real name. In following Richard's trail, Biggles found the case "a little too straight-forward." It was only at Windhoek, in the then Southwest Africa that Richard's trail ended. Suspecting that he had gone into the Kalahari, Biggles and Bertie patrolled the desert and finally found Richard, injured and a virtual prisoner at Fort Schwarz. It was only then that Biggles learnt the true facts and Richard's backstory. Richard was in fact the son of Lord Langdon by his first marriage. Langdon had abandoned his first wife and had never met or heard about him. Richard grew up in Africa and had taken up hunting and exploring in his youth and had met Mick Connor, a big game hunter and diamonf prospector. For a time they worked together hunting leopards in the Kalahari and selling their skins. But Connor was frequently drunk and violent and treated the local bushmen very badly. After a while Richard tired of his behaviour and he left Connor to travel to London. There he spotted an advertisement placed by Lord Langdon for a footman and applied for the job. Richard told Biggles that he had not taken the rubies. They belonged to his half-sister Lady Caroline and he had only moved them to prevent Lord Langdon selling them off. Lady Caroline knew where the rubies were and she had also received the proceeds from the one ruby he had sold. She had in fact bought the aircraft and lent it to him to fly to Africa. After leaving England, Richard had returned to the Kalahari and rejoined Connor. However Connor was as irascible as ever and shortly after had killed a bushman. After that Richard attempted to leave. However Connor, probably concerned that Richard might report the murder to the authorities, shot and hit the propellor as the plane was taking off, causing it to crash and burn. Thereafter, Richard, injured and unable to move, was kept as a virtual prisoner in Fort Schwarz, an abandoned military fort in the Kalahari where Connor had set up as his operating base. Biggles and Bertie attempted to take Richard away but Connor barred the exit of the fort. An unpleasant confrontation was however cut short when Connor was hit by a poison arrow shot by a bushman who had obviously come to avenge the killing of his friend. The dying Connor was taken on board Biggles' aircraft and brought to Windhoek but died before arrival. Before his death, he passed a bag of diamonds to Richard. At the end of the story, Richard was reconciled with Lord Langdon and had been invited to stay with him at Ferndale Manor, all members of the family having agreed to let bygones be bygones. Category:People Category:Biggles characters Category:Air Police era characters